Tom Wolfe, known as author of The Right Stuff and of Bonfire of the Vanities, has also written an insightful little book of nonfiction about, of all things, linguistics. The Kingdom of Speech talks of the amazing thing-language-that sets us apart from the animals. Not just sounds and signals, but the tool that makes abstraction possible.
What? Why would I recommend this to everyone? Because Wolfe is relentlessly candid about the process by which pompous intellectuals decide what everyone else should think about everything. Darwin, Chomsky, and their supporting cast are rightly called out for their careers as great pompous windbags defending their sacred cows against all honest academic inquiry.
The book is short, but packed with great storytelling. Tom Wolfe knows how to write, so read this if you are seeking good models for your own writing, too.
